


Pillow Fight

by thenakednymph



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/M, blame her, the turian and the refugee, this is barbex's fault entirely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-02
Updated: 2016-02-02
Packaged: 2018-05-17 21:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5885572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thenakednymph/pseuds/thenakednymph
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Talatha goads Thax into and impromptu pillow fight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pillow Fight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [barbex](https://archiveofourown.org/users/barbex/gifts).



Talatha slips out from beneath the dead weight of Thax's arm, somehow managing not to wake him, and pads into the kitchen. She's never been much of a cook, but she finds what looks like a can of soup in one of the cupboards and lets her translator do the rest.

Her gaze drifts to the couch periodically, smiling fondly as she sets a pot on the stove, filling it with water and leaving it to boil.

Thax grumbles in his sleep, ducking down behind Talatha's abandoned pillow, hiding from the sun. Talatha bites her lip, a flood of warmth in her chest as she creeps back to the couch trying not to laugh. She carefully pulls the pillow back to peak at Thax and he groans again, burying his face against the sofa and mumbles something unintelligible. Talatha thinks it might be a curse, and somehow that's endearing, but her translator doesn't catch it. He gestures vaguely with one hand in her direction, continuing to mumble.

“Good morning sleepy head,” she whispers. Thax ignores her and Talatha's shoulders shake as she struggles to restrain her laughter. She walks two fingers up his arm and over his shoulder to his face, taping at one mandible.

“Wake up,” she coaxes, “I made soup.”

“...more minutes,” he grumbles, his face still buried in the couch.

Unable to resist, Talatha presses a quick kiss to his cheek in apology before standing in a fluid motion and ripping the blanket off him, a gust of chill morning air swooping in to take its place.

“Up!” she cries and Thax makes a squawk of terror, bolting upright and Talatha dissolves into laughter at the sight of his wide eyes staring up at her in horror.

“That was- I can't believe-” If turians could pout Talatha would swear he was. “Rude.”

She sticks her tongue out at him.

It's either her smile or her playful attitude this morning but Thax can't resist the taunt or the game of cat and mouse she's initiated. He lunges for her, his mandibles flitting in a smile and Talatha squeals in delight twisting away from him and the chase is on.

She bolts for the other side of the room, trying to put the coffee table between herself and Thax but the apartment is small and there's only so much room. He makes a grab for her but she ducks under his arm, the blanket draped around her shoulders as she runs for the couch, scooping a pillow up in her arms and hurling it at Thax's head. It hits him straight in the face and leaves him sputtering.

He blinks at her in surprise, his jaw dropping along with his guard. His expression elicits another string of laughter from Talatha. She lifts another pillow from the couch, widening her stance.

“Arm yourself.” She skitters sideways, nearly tripping over the blanket as Thax bends slowly to pick up the pillow, his eyes still on Talatha. “Come on,” she urges as he slowly grasps it, “'atta boy,” she murmurs, extending one hand waving her fingers at him to try and goad him into making the first move. “Bring it on.”

He lunges for her, swinging with the pillow but whacks his shins on the coffee table bringing his assault to an abrupt halt. Talatha seizes upon the opportunity and bashes him across the head with her pillow and he stumbles sideways. She scrambles over the couch, dislodging cushions as she goes and races into the bed room, Thax right behind her. His mandibles flutter in anticipation as she leaps onto the bed, the the blanket falling around her feet. Knowing he has her trapped Thax crouches, widening his stance to keep her from slipping past.

“Now I got you.” He waves his pillow threateningly.

Talatha sticks her tongue out again and Thax swings the pillow at her head, sweeping her legs out from under her with his other arm and she hits the mattress hard, the air rushing from her lungs in a heavy umph.

Before he can pin her Talatha swings her pillow in a last desperate attempt at escape but Thax ducks his head at the last second and the pillow becomes impaled on his fringe surprising them both. The pillow rips as she tugs it free and feathers go flying. Thax freezes in startled horror as feathery down float through the air, clumps of it tangled in his fringe and collecting in the neck of is cowl.

Talatha shrieks with laughter, realizing how oddly bird like the turians are in that moment and it strikes her as the funniest thing she's ever seen. Tears prick her eyes, her stomach aching as she tries to wave Thax's efforts to help her away. The mere sight of him sends her into another fit until she can't breathe and she's crying, clutching at her stomach and wheezing.

“Talatha? Are you- shit, are you okay?” His hands flutter nervously in the air, trying to wave the feathers away but the movement just sends more tufts of them up into the air. Talatha can't stop laughing in spite of the Thax's obvious distress.

Thax pulls her into a sitting position, his hands on her arms supporting her as she struggles to take a breath, the stitch in her side growing progressively more painful. She peeks at Thax and snorts, tears on her cheeks.

“You-” she chokes on the laughter and shakes her head. “like a cockatiel.” She snickers, her head falling forward to rest against Thax's shoulder, her body trembling.

“I have no idea what that is,” Thax says, seriously hoping whatever has just come out of the torn pillow isn't toxic.

“'s a bird,” Talatha gasps, pulling back to wipe the down from his face, still snickering as her laughter begins to subside. She presses a kiss to his mouth. She tastes like laughter.

“Maybe we can get one some day,” she says. “I'd love to show you the comparison. It's too damn funny.”


End file.
